Man gets 30 month driving ban

An east Perthshire lorry driver was left counting the cost of a boozy reunion with a friend he hadn’t seen for 20 years.

Sixty-five-year-old Ralph Zimbehl, of Murray’s Court, Coupar Angus, wrote off his Ford Focus car after he smashed into the verge on the A923.

That left him out of pocket to the tune of £1,000, on top of a £6,000 credit card debt.

He was subsequently discovered to have been more than four times over the legal alcohol limit - and that led to him losing his job.

The drink/driving incident ended in further misery when he was banned for 30 months at Perth Sheriff Court.

He will also have to complete 125 hours of unpaid work as a direct alternative to a jail sentence.

His lawyer described his decision to drive home from Blairgowrie as“gross stupidity”.

Zimbehl admitted driving with 94 microgrammes of alcohol on his breath - the maximum allowed is 22 - on the A923 Blairgowrie-Coupar Angus road on February 5.

Depute fiscal Bill Kermode said police received an anonymous call reporting an accident at Bendochy crossroads.

Officers discovered the car had come to rest facing the wrong direction.

“They saw him standing outside the vehicle in possession of the car key,”explained Mr Kermode.“He was apparently under the influence of alcohol.”

He gave a positive roadside breath test and was then taken to Perth police station to complete the drink/ driving procedure.

“The vehicle had suffered extensive damage and was removed from the roadway.”

Solicitor Mike Tavendale said the accused had intended to get a taxi home but for“some reason he couldn’t fathom,”had taken his car.

“It was a catastrophic misjudgment - he’s the first to recognise that,”stated the lawyer.

Sheriff Lindsay Foulis gave Zimbehl the chance to take part in a drink/ drive rehabilitation scheme.

If he successfully completes that scheme, his ban will be cut by six months.